Simple, Easy Giving This Holiday Season

The Giving season is upon us! For some of us, this is a joyous time – for others, it can be a bit overwhelming. If you are looking to give back a little this season and declutter your house without breaking the bank this year you are in luck, I have the solution!

Goodwill. What is that, you say, Goodwill? But that is all previously used items. You bet it is! And it is a great place to pick up lots of different items you need! Maybe some cookie tins that you can share some homemade goodies in or maybe buy some warm socks or gloves to give to the homeless if you are looking to give back on a budget. Plus, did you know that Goodwill stores actually carry many brand new items too? The options are really endless, plus, you are helping the community when you are shopping at your local Goodwill.

Did you know? Goodwill sells donated goods through more than 3,200 stores across the United States and Canada, and channels more than 85 percent of sales revenue to provide those services to people who are unemployed or underemployed.

Today, 8.9 million Americans are out of work, and nearly 15 percent of the workforce is underemployed, which includes part-time workers who would prefer full-time employment. Thanks to the job training programs made possible by donations of clothes and household items, Goodwill helped place more than 312,000 in jobs in the United States and Canada in 2015 — that’s one person finding a job every 23 seconds of every business day. So you’re literally donating your stuff AND helping to create jobs.

Maybe this year you don’t have to break the bank with gift giving. Just shop at Goodwill for those unique items and give something a new life. Even if you decide not to do any shopping at Goodwill this year, you can still help Goodwill by donating some of your unwanted clothes, dishes, etc. This alone is a great way to give back AND save your sanity at the same time because you will have decluttered your house too!

Take advantage of the Giving Season and shop or donate items at Goodwill this year. Your pocketbook and sanity will thank you & so will your community!

You can even calculate how your donation helps your local community by using Goodwill’s donation impact calculator, a feature available within the Goodwill Locator App and at Goodwill.org (click “Explore Our Map” on the homepage to access the calculator). Simply input the items you’re donating to calculate the number of hours of career counseling, on-the-job training, résumé preparation, financial planning classes, and other services you’ve helped provide to people facing challenges finding employment.